Washington D.C. – Last year, House Republicans, led by Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), carried out a national effort to listen to the voices of the people and produce a new governing agenda based on America's priorities. This initiative, America Speaking Out, led to the introduction of the Pledge to America, a policy agenda built by listening and focused on creating jobs and cutting spending. While working hard to implement the Pledge, House Republicans are setting out to start a fresh dialogue about one of the fundamental challenges we face: our nation's spending and debt crisis, which is hampering our ability to create jobs. During this constituent work period, members will be engaging their constituents about the scale and scope of the problem, as well as exploring possible solutions to put us back on a responsible fiscal path. In a new video posted today on AmericaSpeakingOut.com, Whip McCarthy explains that solving a challenge of this size cannot be done without the participation of the American people. Once again, he wants Americans to speak out – online and at member events – about how we can work together to ensure America remains prosperous and strong. Whip McCarthy's video message can be found below, along with the transcript.

Click here to play.

TRANSCRIPT:

Hi, I'm Kevin McCarthy, Congressman from California and the Majority Whip in the House of Representatives. 

Last year, I had the opportunity to lead a project to change the way how Washington works –America Speaking Out.  My Republican colleagues and I saw over and over that the Democrats running Washington were repeatedly ignoring what the American people had to say – no matter how loudly you and your neighbors spoke up.

We set out to produce a new governing agenda, one that reflected the will of the people instead of the whims of the Washington elites. And we wanted to do it differently than ever before – we wanted the American people to help us develop it. 

So we launched this interactive site, AmericaSpeakingOut.com, and also spread out across the country at town hall meetings -  engaging directly with the people, listening to your ideas, and including them in the national debate. This is how we created the Pledge to America, a governing agenda built by incorporating common-sense conservative solutions to address the problems our country face.  A Pledge that focuses on our American priorities: creating jobs, cutting wasteful government spending, and restoring trust in Washington.

We've been hard at work following through on the ideas that are in the Pledge.  Over the past two months, we have voted to repeal Obamacare and cut spending down to pre-bailout, pre-stimulus levels.  But there's more to do. This week, House Republicans are setting out to start a fresh dialogue about one of the fundamental challenges we face: our spending and debt crisis. Our spending and debt crisis continues to reduce opportunities for us to grow again, and is undermining the spirit of innovation that has made America great. 

That's why Republicans have pledged to begin the process to put us on a responsible fiscal path, so businesses have the economic certainty to begin hiring again, so families can again feel secure in our economic future, and so we all can have the certainty our children will be left with more opportunities than we had.

Tackling our spending and debt crisis will be difficult – tough choices will need to be made.  But if we carry out a fact-based conversation about the scope and scale of the problem we're facing, and listen to the different ideas we all have, we have the best chance of finding the best solutions.  You have a right to know the truth about the debt crisis we are facing, and it will require bold solutions and your help.

So once again, we want to hear from you. I hope you'll join us. And I hope you'll keep speaking out.